Eternal Promise: Fragments Of Us

LEON/LIBULAN

“LIBULAN!” It was Likabutan’s voice. He dashed out and caught me just in time. The impact of my fall greatly affected Likabutan’s body. “Argh!” He groaned and growled in intense pain as he became my cushion. He coughed out some blood after receiving my harsh fall.

“Libulan! Likabutan!” I could see Lisuga running towards our direction with a panicked voice. When she arrived, she quickly bent over and checked our condition.

[This is not making any sense at all. Why is Sidapa doing this?] I asked myself inside my mind. I looked up to him one more time and he just remained unmoved in midair, waiting for us to beat him up again.

“Why won’t you talk to me?!” I shouted at Sidapa. As expected, his mouth remained shut. “Talk to me, damn it! Was the Sheldon that this body of mine met six years ago was nothing but a fraud?! All those passionate nights that we shared together, were all of them lies?! Did you really love me?! Answer me! Don’t make me look like a clueless fool here! Give me back my real memories, including the ones that happened on the day that we both died! I beg you…” I fell to my knees as I hugged myself while trembling uncontrollably. I couldn’t get myself to accept that this was actually happening. Deep inside, I hoped that this was all just a dream-a very bad dream-and I would wake up from it and I would see Sheldon lying beside me wearing his usual gentle smile.

“I failed…” I heard Sidapa say in a half whisper, and I quickly lifted up my head. “I could have prevented all of these from happening if I didn’t decide to rely on anyone other than myself,” he said in a puzzling way. “You were already in my grip. After patiently waiting for another thousand years, I finally found you and had you in my hands. We were finally reunited,” he then clenched his fists and he started to give off a hostile vibe. “but hindrances keep appearing. I should’ve killed all of them when I had the chance.”

[What the hell is he talking about?!] I thought, confused. Then Lisuga suddenly burst into tears.

“Lisuga?” I uttered and stared at her with a confused look on my face.

“I am deeply sorry!” she apologized, and it raised some alarm. “When I remembered who I was, I subconsciously went searching for you and Likabutan, dear little brother,” she started. “But Sidapa sensed me and warned me not to interfere. In exchange, I made a promise never to tell you who we really were and we continued acting as your colleagues and close friends. Likabutan was the last to realize who he was because some of his memories got damaged when we fought for you back then. That explains why he was so enraged the moment he knew about everything. He couldn’t forgive Sidapa for breaking the divine rules and reincarnating the both of you using a forbidden spell,” she revealed.

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. [Why would they go to such lengths?]

“Sidapa’s soul split into two after performing the forbidden spell, Libulan,” Lisuga continued. “The black version of him became the life source of his tree that had died after he used its core to perform his deed. It soon became the black entity that had followed you around ever since you were born as (…). His white version was reincarnated in Sheldon’s body,” she explained.

[Again. Lisuga just mentioned my real name but as soon as she mouthed it, I couldn’t hear it. Why is that?] I thought, both horrified and shocked at the revelation that I was told.

How the hell did she know my real name, in the first place? All of them only knew me as Leon. And if she and Likabutan died right before Sidapa did the forbidden spell, how did she know all of these? Did Sidapa tell her?ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Aly-I mean, Lisuga, how did you know about my real name?” I asked her, and she was surprised that she was able to know.

“Huh?” Lisuga went blank after that and looked away from me. “I’m not really sure why,” she said.

[How long has it been since I last heard someone call me by my given name? When mom died, it greatly affected me. My whole personality changed entirely. I started to act as someone whom I didn’t recognize, too,] I deeply thought.

I just remembered everything now. It was me who created “Leon”. It was for the sake of protecting my feelings from being deeply attached to anyone or anything in this world. When I lived as Leon, I promised myself that I only had myself until the day I died. That way, I wouldn’t get sad whenever someone went in and out of my life. I only

forgot about that promise when I met Sheldon.

“Luan.” My whole body shivered when I heard Sidapa call my real name using his deep voice. “Your mother couldn’t bear a child so her husband left her. Despite that, she remained positive and didn’t stop asking for a child. She asked for the Moon Deity to bless her with fertility. You, Libulan, heard her prayers and granted her wish. Your soul had chosen her offspring to be your reincarnation after wandering for thousands of years,” he revealed. “In Portuguese, your name means “moon”. In Vietnamese, it means “justice” and in Gaelic, it means “warrior”. It was a very fitting name for you.”

“How do you know all of these?” I asked him while shedding tears of pain. Why am I the only one who seemed to be running in circles this whole time?

“Our souls are connected, Libulan. That is the reason why I was able to find you after all these years,” he answered.

“Why did you cheat destiny? We were supposed to die here, right?! I remember having a conversation with you about life and death. I used to fear the idea of death before but you were the one who taught me to hold on to what I believed no matter what. I held on until the end. If I accepted our fate, why didn’t you?!” I yelled at him.

“Why?” he uttered, and black smoke started accumulating again around him. This time, they felt heavier. And Sidapa’s current human form slowly transformed into something straight out of a fantasy book.

Before my very eyes, the body that once belonged to Sheldon grew twice his size. He already had tanned skin, but it became darker. His black, wavy hair also grew out down to his waist. He growled and groaned like a wild animal as he started to grow two large horns on the sides of his head. The smoke that smothered him unleashed a menacing warning to everyone around us.

I held up my hand, as if trying to reach out to him as I shed more tears. “Sidapa…?”

“You leave me no choice, Libulan. If I can’t have you even after everything that I’ve done then be it. I have to kill you for myself if that is the only way that we can be together, forever.”

After that, my whole world stopped.

[to be continued]